The Discovery Channel’s most-watched program, “MythBusters,” will feature the new Freightliner Cascadia on an episode about big-rig myths premiering at 9 tonight ET, June 6. The episode will air again throughout the month of June. “MythBusters” tests whether popular beliefs are truth or urban legend using science.
Hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman and the rest of the “MythBusters” crew traveled in March to Madras, Ore., where Freightliner’s test track is located. There, the “MythBusters” team investigated whether a person could save on fuel by drafting behind a truck. The team also tested whether a car could reverse out of a moving truck trailer, turn 180 degrees, and drive away, similar to the stunt performed on the popular 1980s show, “Knight Rider.”
The Cascadia, introduced in May, is Freightliner’s latest Class 8 heavy-duty truck for on-road applications. The truck was designed based on the “Run Smart” philosophy to be the most productive, efficient and drivable truck on the market. The Cascadia, its rack and pinion steering and Freightliner’s wind tunnel featured prominently in the program. Freightliner says it is the only truck manufacturer to offer rack and pinion steering on its heavy-duty trucks.
“We enjoyed working with the entire ‘MythBusters’ team and were pleased with the opportunity to showcase the Cascadia, the industry’s most aerodynamic truck to date,” says Melissa Kellogg, director of product marketing for Portland, Ore.-based Freightliner Trucks. “Freightliner’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel, the only of its kind in the world for Class 8 trucks, was showcased, allowing the ‘MythBusters’ team to understand how we were able to develop the Cascadia to be so fuel-efficient. The team also was able to see the benefits of rack and pinion steering in action.”
Following tonight’s premiere, viewers also will be able to see more of the Cascadia on the Discovery Channel’s website, www.discoverychannel.com, where host Tory Belleci tests whether you can draft behind a big rig on a bicycle.
